On June 26, 2013, the ABMS Board of Directors unanimously approved joint sponsorship between the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) and the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) of certification in Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine (ACCM). Emergency physicians can now apply for ACGME-accredited ACCM fellowship training after their Emergency Medicine residency training, and when qualified by completing a 24-month ABA-approved CCM fellowship, be able to seek Board certification.

ABEM diplomates who have previously completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship program might be eligible for certification under a select set of circumstances. See the ACCM Eligibility Criteria for ABEM Diplomates and the FAQs for more information.

The ABA develops and oversees the administration of the ACCM subspecialty examination; however, ABEM will report the results of the examination to its candidates. ABEM diplomates will apply to ABEM to establish their eligibility for certification. Interested individuals are encouraged to review the ACCM Eligibility Criteria for ABEM Diplomates and the FAQs for more details about the application process and eligibility criteria.

Program Requirements

The program requirements for fellowship training in Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine and the program application are available from the ABA, and are linked below. Programs that wish to offer a two-year fellowship must receive prospective approval from the ABA before any trainees accepted into the two-year anesthesiology critical care medicine fellowship can qualify for certification under the training pathway. The Fellowship Training-Plus-Practice Pathway (grandfathering) provision will be available for four years beginning July 1, 2013. A physician seeking certification under the grandfathering pathway must complete both accredited ACCM training and a practice component to be considered for certification

ABA-Approved Fellowship Programs

As mentioned above, programs that wish to offer a two-year fellowship must receive prospective approval from the ABA before any trainees accepted into the two-year anesthesiology critical care medicine fellowship can qualify for certification under the training pathway. A list of programs that the ABA has already approved is available here.